Fallen Angel: The Tolling of the Bells
by Armitage Blade
Summary: Yugi Motou graduated today, but that doesn't mean he will survive the night. These are his final hours on Earth, and the aftermath. Oneshot. Songfic to When I'm Gone by 3 Doors Down. Suicide, swearing, Rated M to be on the safe side.


Fallen Angel: The Tolling of the Bells

By: Armitage Blade

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I wish I did! Song's by 3 Doors Down: "When I'm Gone"

Author's Note: This fic contains the following: Dark Yugi, Super dark Atemu, abuse, suicide, implied slash (not telling who, though. It can be construed however you'd like), and adult language in places.

Yugi Motou was your average teenager. He finally hit a growth spurt when he hit his freshman year of high school, and shot up to about five foot six, still shorter than most of his friends, but taller that Atemu, the Yami that inhibited the puzzle. Atemu didn't inhibit the puzzle anymore; since there was no need for them to still stay in the same body, he separated himself from Yugi.

Since then, Yugi withdrew into himself. Yugi embraced the darkness that had been filled by Atemu. When he was there, he kept the dark from Yugi. Since then, Yugi was still innocent, but that light of innocence was cloaked in darkness. It became more pronounced throughout high school. However, he found that bit of innocence earlier in the day, during his high school graduation.

That wasn't the only change. Atemu grew colder towards Yugi. He would beat Yugi senseless, sometimes until he had broken bones. Yugi just passed it off as being a klutz, something Yugi NEVER was until Atemu gained his own body. His grandfather just ignored him, and paid more attention to Atemu. Téa, Joey, Tristan, Duke, Mai, and Kaiba all hung with Atemu, and forgot about Yugi.

That brings us to Yugi right now. He was out by the beach, wearing a black muscle shirt, black pants, and a pair of sunglasses. He got a tattoo of a version of the Dark Magician's staff curling around his right bicep. He had dyed his hair pure black; Atemu kept the tri-colored hairstyle, and Yugi left him to it. He was listening to his mp3 player, currently tuned to "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down.

_There's another world inside of me  
That you may never see  
There's secrets in this life  
That I can't hide  
Somewhere in this darkness  
There's a light that I can't find  
Maybe it's too far away...  
Maybe I'm just blind..._

Maybe I'm just blind...  


**Hm. Sounds like how I've turned out since that whole Leviathan mess**.Yugi thought.

_So hold me when I'm here  
Love me when I'm wrong  
Hold me when I'm scared  
And love me when I'm gone  
Everything I am  
And everything you need  
I'll also be the one  
You wanted me to be  
I'll never let you down  
Even if I could  
I'd give up everything  
If only for your good  
So hold me when I'm here  
Love me when I'm wrong  
You can hold me when I'm scared  
You won't always be there  
So love me when I'm gone  
_

Yugi started silently crying, tears escaping his eyes and flowing down below his sunglasses. **I gave up so much, and I couldn't even get what I wanted. Looks like he had proven his true colors during the Leviathan incident.**

_Love me when I'm gone...  
_

**Will they? Will they miss me when I finally go?**

_  
When your education x-ray  
Can not see under my skin  
I won't tell you a damn thing  
That I could not tell my friends  
Roaming through this darkness  
I'm alive but I'm alone  
Part of me is fighting this  
But part of me is gone_

Yugi lit a cigarette and held it to his lips. Sure, he knew smoking was bad, but he knew he wouldn't make it much past his senior year of high school. He chuckled as he remembered that he graduated earlier in the day. The red cap and gown, the white and red tassel, the gold honor cords. Yes! He actually graduated top of his class. He couldn't believe it, either. With everything that happened during his four years of high school, he scraped together a 3.98 GPA. He graduated valedictorian. Something that should've been celebrated.

Oh, it was celebrated, alright. He got a beating that would've scared anyone shitless from Atemu after he got home. The instrument of torture today was the chain from the puzzle. Atemu laid claim to the puzzle, of course, but kept the chain to beat Yugi with. Atemu actually said something before he left today: "Congratulations, cockroach."

_So hold me when I'm here  
Love me when I'm wrong  
Hold me when I'm scared  
And love me when I'm gone  
Everything I am  
And everything you need  
I'll also be the one  
You wanted me to be  
I'll never let you down  
Even if I could  
I'd give up everything  
If only for your good  
So hold me when I'm here  
Love me when I'm wrong  
You can hold me when I'm scared  
You won't always be there  
So love me when I'm gone_

**And he thinks I'll let him have the last laugh? He thinks he can kill me? I don't fuckin think so.**

_Maybe I'm just blind...  
_  
Yugi took another drag of the cigarette and watched the sunset, aware that it would most likely be the last time he would ever see this.

_So hold me when I'm here  
Love me when I'm wrong  
Hold me when I'm scared  
And love me when I'm gone  
Everything I am  
And everything you need  
I'll also be the one  
You wanted me to be  
I'll never let you down  
Even if I could  
I'd give up everything  
If only for your good  
So hold me when I'm here  
Love me when I'm wrong  
You can hold me when I'm scared  
You won't always be there  
So love me when I'm gone_

Yugi put his cigarette out and walked home, the letter he wrote earlier in his pocket. Since Atemu didn't work, he knew full well his grandfather would find him where he planned for his final minutes to be spent: in front of his game shop.

Yugi walked to the shop with the last part of the song echoing through his ears.

_Love me when I'm gone..._

Love me when I'm gone  
When I'm Gone  
When I'm Gone  
When I'm Gone

THE NEXT MORNING

Solomon Motou walked around the corner from his house. He needed to clean up his shop for today's game competition. As he got closer, he could see a figure lying on the sidewalk in front. He got irritated, until he saw the red on the building. He could also smell the tang of blood on the air. He rushed to the game shop, and saw who the figure was: his grandson Yugi.

"Oh no." Solomon said, looking around. He saw that Yugi died from blood loss; the deep cuts on his wrist were the culprit. A knife wasn't too far away from Yugi's body, proving that he was rendered weak fast.

He also saw a letter that Yugi placed next to the knife. He picked it up and read:

_Grandfather,_

_I'm sorry that you had to see this so early in the morning, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I've had enough of Atemu beating the shit out of me everyday. I know there was supposed to be a party for me. I'm also aware that Atemu canceled it, claiming that I was 'sick.' What you didn't know was that the bastard beat me until I was bleeding profusely. _

_I know that this is bad, but I want you to remember the proud young man who walked across the stage yesterday for that diploma, the young man who gave a speech for the future, even though he knew he didn't have one. I could see Atemu's glare, as if he would make sure that I would never see any of my class reunions. Remember the proud young man who worked hard and kept almost perfect grades all the way through school. _

_If Atemu asks what happened to me, tell him this: "The tolling of the bells is for the innocent. The guilty will be unable to withstand it." _

_I'd like to see Atemu die for what he did to me, but I know that when he faces his day of judgment, he will not make it to heaven._

_Grandfather, I love you. The only thing I regret is that we didn't spend enough time together after Atemu and I separated. Remember that. The only one that I had any ill will against when I died is the one who drove me to this: Atemu. Let everyone else know that, ok?_

_I'll see you when you get to Heaven._

_Love, Yugi_

Solomon walked into the shop and called the police, telling them that he found his grandson in front of the game shop, dead from suicide. Once Joey, Tristan, Téa, Duke, Mai, and Kaiba found out, and read a copy of the note Yugi left for Solomon, they immediately turned their back on Atemu. When Atemu asked what the hell happened, Solomon said, with tears in his eyes and voice, "The tolling of the bells is for the innocent. The guilty will be unable to withstand it."

Sure enough, the bells started to toll, signifying Yugi's death. Atemu dropped to his knees, with his hands over his ears.

"Make it stop!" Atemu yelled.

"I can't. You did this to yourself." Solomon replied, and walked out of the shop. "I have a funeral to plan."

After Solomon left, Atemu could've sworn he heard Yugi say "the tolling of the bells" over and over again.


End file.
